AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2013 - 16

WAYPOINTS

An AirVenture
unlike any other

BY THOMAS B. HAINES
Editor in Chief

Seeing the show through new eyes
THIS SUMMER I attended what is now called EAA
AirVenture for the twenty-fourth time—20 in a row.
Despite all the history, this year for me was a new experience in many ways, as I strived to experience at least
part of the show as an attendee, not a journalist covering
it. While I always enjoy AirVenture, this year I especially looked forward to it as I anticipated the arrival of
my father, brother-in-law, and nephew—all first-timers.
They’ve heard my descriptions of the show for
years and we’ve frequently discussed them attending.
Although none are pilots, they’re all interested in aviation, technology, and hobby activities in general—and
they’ve all lived my many aviation experiences vicariously. Year after year one thing or another arose that
prevented them from attending.

This year’s show was blessed with the best
weather imaginable for an airshow—clear skies,
light winds, and crisp, dry air day after day.

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Thomas B. Haines
will present
seminars on
buying an aircraft
and panel upgrades
at AOPA Summit
October 10 through
12 in Fort Worth,
Texas.

16 | AOPA PILOT October 2013

Those many excuses played through my mind last
autumn in Florida as I attended the NBAA charity
auction, which included a VIP package to AirVenture
donated by EAA. Thinking that perhaps if I put money
on the table, I’d actually make it happen, I bid on
the package and to my surprise won it. The package
included VIP experiences including special seating for
the airshows, a golf-cart tour of the grounds, and free
parking in a lot close to the main gate.
I presented the package to my father as a Christmas
gift and we set about making airline and other arrangements. The ideal way to experience AirVenture is an
arrival in a GA airplane. That wasn’t in the cards for
them, but the trip turned out ideal in every other way.
This year’s show was blessed with the best weather
imaginable for an airshow—clear skies, light winds,
and crisp, dry air day after day. Although the three of
them live in three disparate places in Pennsylvania and
upstate New York, they all managed to converge on a
Southwest Airlines flight out of Baltimore to Milwaukee
at the same time on Wednesday of the show. My father,
Blaine, brother-in-law Nate Graham, and his son
Brandon, arrived right on schedule.

I lightened my work load for the second half of the
week so upon their arrival we spent most of the next
three and half days exploring the show together. First up
was the Wednesday night airshow. If you’ve never been
to a night airshow, go! They’re great fun with a host of
different acts you’ll never see during a daylight show.
Thursday morning the golf cart tour showed me
dozens of locations I had never been to before, including parts of Pioneer Airport opposite the EAA museum.
There we nabbed rides over the show in Bell 47s. I’d
seen the choppers overhead over the years, but never
knew how or where to get a ride. Now I do. It is from
that perspective that you appreciate the breadth and
scope of the show. The campground alone is stunningly
large—a fact lost on most who never see it from the air.
Looking down on row after row of warbirds—all of
which flew in—is a sight not to be seen anywhere else.
We mastered (sort of ) the impressive tram system
and attended a few forums—all firsts for me. Warbirds
and Experimentals interested them the most and we
walked those areas from one end to the other. As I frequently am, I was impressed by my dad’s in-depth
knowledge of World War II airplanes. The package
included VIP seating for the airshows—a simple white
tent with snacks inside. Simple yes, but strategically
placed near the middle of the flight line, it proved to be
a good place to stop and rest tired feet from time to time.
While the airshows didn’t feature any military
airplanes this year, thanks to the federal sequester cutbacks, we found the variety of acts impressive and well,
curious; including the Terrafugia Transition “roadable
airplane” making its first public flights and Jetman.
While appearing small and distant, the concept of a
guy strapping on a wing suit and four small jet engines
and flying before a crowd is impressive in and of itself.
We drove over to the seaplane base, my first visit in
more than 20 years. I was impressed by the calm and
quiet of the tree-shaded inlet on Lake Winnebago.
Thanks to the EAA staff and volunteers for making
this the most memorable AirVenture for me, one we’ll
relive at family get-togethers for years to come. AOPA
EMAIL thomas.haines@aopa.org

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2013

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